With less than 15% of the DNR’s annual budget coming from general tax dollars, new and creative revenue sources are vital to fulfilling the department’s mission.

“We are open to a variety of sponsorships and partnerships to help people enjoy and appreciate Michigan’s natural and cultural resources and, at the same time, highlight the many businesses that are growing the outdoor recreation industry and the state’s economy,” said Kristin Phillips, DNR Marketing and Outreach Division chief.

Examples of sponsorship/partnership opportunities include:

• Advertising in the annual hunting digest or fishing guide, reaching hundreds of thousands of Michigan hunters or over 1 million anglers. Find more information about advertising opportunities at Michigan.gov/DNRDigests.
• Joining the “These Goods are Good for Michigan” program. This collection of partners works with the DNR to raise awareness and support through revenue sharing – on products or services of interest to outdoor enthusiasts – for state parks, trails, waterways, and fish and wildlife species restoration. If you’re interested in becoming a partner, contact Maia Turek at 989-225-8573.
• Expanding visitor services and experiences throughout the DNR parks and recreation system by becoming a concessionaire. The department’s “outdoorpreneur” partners include concessions, restaurants, gift shops, rental outfitters, water park operators, guide services and many others. Find current concession opportunities at Michigan.gov/StateParkConcessions or contact Lori Green at 989-889-9178, for more information.
• Bringing “up north” to downtown Detroit with sponsorship opportunities at the Outdoor Adventure Center, from exhibit and display sponsors to naming rights on the building. Those interested in promoting stewardship and enjoyment of Michigan’s natural resources have the chance to inspire millions annually through this hands-on, urban educational facility.
• Contributing to DNR visitor centers, which host nature exhibits and programs that help teach thousands of schoolchildren and families more about Michigan’s natural resources. For more information about exhibit and building sponsorship opportunities at Saginaw Bay Visitor Center in Bay City, Carl T. Johnson Hunting and Fishing Center in Cadillac and Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery Visitor Center in Mattawan, contact Jon Spieles at 906-293-5131, ext. 4023.
• Sponsoring habitat projects on state-managed lands through the Adopt-a-Game-Area program and help grassland wildlife thrive. Support of this program provides valuable habitat for a wide range of wildlife, including deer, turkeys, pheasants, ducks, cottontail rabbits, songbirds and pollinators.
• Becoming a partner in the Iron Belle Trail Fund Campaign, which aims to create a seamless, 2,000-mile trail – with two distinct routes, one for bicycling and one for hiking – that connects Michigan from Belle Isle in Detroit to Ironwood in the western Upper Peninsula.

Businesses and organizations interested in these, or other, opportunities can contact Kristin Phillips at 517-284-6065 to discuss.

For a complete list of ongoing sponsorship and partnership options, bookmark the DNR Get Involved webpage, where new opportunities will be added as they become available.

The meeting will start at 9 a.m. in the Forum at the Michigan Library and Historical Center, 702 W. Kalamazoo St., in downtown Lansing. For everyone’s safety, masks are recommended for all visitors.

See the meeting’s full draft agenda at Michigan.gov/NRC. For more information or to request time to speak at the meeting, contact Victoria Lischalk at 517-599-1067 or NRC@Michigan.gov.

An easy option is to break up foliage and add it to a compost pile where it will mix with other organic material like coffee grounds and kitchen scraps, eventually decomposing and enriching the soil. View composting tips from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to get started.

Bag and dispose of any real berries and bits of floral arrangements crafted from non-native plants in the trash.

If you have space, scattering branches near a woodland edge in your backyard is another option, which will create brushy cover that cottontail rabbits will love to hide in. Squirrels, foxes, chipmunks and birds like wrens and cardinals also appreciate brush. You can do this on your own property, but don’t dispose of trees on public lands or waterways. Keep in mind, too, that providing habitat for small mammals could lead to visitors such as coyotes, hawks and owls.

Before placing foliage in the outdoors, make sure there are no ribbons, wires, fake berries or bits of tinsel still attached.

“Wires and ornament hooks could entangle wildlife, and fake berries could be swallowed if mistaken for the real thing,” said DNR wildlife outreach coordinator Rachel Leightner.

Dry conifers can be flammable, so spread foliage out in pieces instead of placing it in one big pile if you have a lot of material.

No space to compost a tree outside, or your local ordinances don’t allow it? See if there is a curbside pickup program or community compost drop-off site near you. With a woodchipper, you also can turn a holiday tree into garden mulch.

If you happened to hang mistletoe (the “kissing plant”) this season, kiss it goodbye by tossing it in the trash, not the woods. Some varieties of this parasitic plant are invasive.

Questions? Contact Rachel Coale, DNR Forest Resources Division, at 517-930-1283.

Watch this brief video to hear from past and current seasonal park workers about what they gained from these opportunities.

There are approximately 1,300 seasonal park worker positions available in state parks, state forest campgrounds, boating access sites and harbors. These frontline staff help answer visitor questions, register campers, clean park buildings, mow grass, maintain trails and more. The positions start at an hourly rate of $10.20 or $11 (depending on region) and offer flexible scheduling (up to 1,040 hours between April and October) and may qualify for academic or internship credit.

More than 50 seasonal park rangers also will be hired throughout the state. A park ranger helps carry out day-to-day operations and maintenance and other essential duties. Positions are paid between $18.29 and $25.70 an hour and receive state employment benefits.

• Seasonal park worker positions: Should be 18 or older and have a high school diploma or equivalent. Provide your name, email, phone number and desired work location(s) on the interest form. Applying should take less than five minutes. Interested applicants also can text “Hire” to 80888 and receive a link to the interest form.
• Seasonal park ranger positions: Must be 18 or older and have a high school diploma or equivalent. Complete a State of Michigan employment application.

“If you love Michigan’s great outdoors and are looking for a seasonal position with flexible hours, come work where you like to spend time the most,” said Michael Desnoyer, administrative services chief for the DNR Parks and Recreation Division. “These positions are also ideal for college students, teachers and retirees.”

Learn more about these and other openings at Michigan.gov/DNRJobs. Questions? Contact Michael Desnoyer at 517-242-2194.

The season’s first episode will be available at no charge throughout January. Highlights include conservation officers tracking down trespassers and volunteers helping to support a pheasant hunt for military veterans and first responders.

Episodes air on the Outdoor Channel every Monday at 5:30 p.m. and then are repeated Monday at 2:30 a.m., Tuesday at 7:30 a.m., Friday at 8:30 and 11:30 p.m. and Saturday at 5:30 p.m. (All times Eastern Standard).

To get the Outdoor Channel, ask your local TV service provider or Amazon Prime, or go to OutdoorChannel.com or MyOutdoorTV.com or call 1-855-44OUTDOOR. More than 52 episodes of “Wardens” have featured the state of Michigan.

Questions? Contact Dave Haupt at 517-420-0819.

The harvest limit for the 2022 season on Black Lake is six lake sturgeon. To prevent overfishing, Department of Natural Resources officials will close the season when one of two scenarios occurs:

1. The sixth fish is harvested.
2. Five fish have been harvested at the end of any fishing day.

Fishing hours are 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. each day of the season. The season will end either at 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 9, or when one of the above scenarios is met, at which point anglers will be notified via text message and on the ice by DNR personnel that they must immediately stop fishing for lake sturgeon.

Anglers must register for the season, and those 17 or older must have a valid Michigan fishing license. This year, anglers must register online by Feb. 4 to participate. Get more registration information at Michigan.gov/Sturgeon.

Participating anglers must bring their own 1-foot-diameter or larger bright red flag to hang on their fishing shanty to help DNR personnel identify those who are sturgeon fishing. Anglers are asked to hang one or more of these in highly visible locations on their shanty.

Anyone harvesting a lake sturgeon must immediately contact DNR personnel on the ice to register the fish. Official registration of harvested fish will be at the Onaway DNR Field Office 1 mile south of Onaway State Park. Harvest registration may include an examination of internal organs and removal of a piece of fin tissue for DNA analysis or aging.

Lake sturgeon rehabilitation efforts in Black Lake over the last two decades have been a successful collaborative effort between the Michigan DNR, Sturgeon for Tomorrow, tribal agencies, Michigan State University and Tower-Kleber Limited Partnership. This population has increased in the past 20 years due to rearing and stocking efforts, research, and protection of spawning adults, and this trend is expected to continue.

Anglers should be aware of marginal ice conditions on regional lakes so far this year and use extreme caution if fishing. Visit Michigan.gov/IceSafety for tips to stay safe on the ice.